The sharks were spotted outside a school of dolphins in front of Deal Casino and appeared to headed north toward Long Branch, Hulse said.

“We took precautionary measures and removed everyone from the waters and beachfront,” Hulse said.

By 12:45 p.m. officials declared the waterfront safe for return saying, ” Swimmers allowed back in water. No sightings within last hour. Shark last seen heading North towards Long Branch following a school of dolphins around 11:30.”

No injuries were reported, Hulse said.

The Deal lifeguards along with the Deal Police Deparerment took precautionary steps and ordered all swimmers out of the water, said Sgt. Brian Egan. The Deal Police Department immediately notified surrounding towns, social media and several other agencies.

“While we are well aware sharks live in the ocean, we want to ensure that everyone is informed that a shark was sighted in close proximity to our service area,” Egan said. “We want to thank everyone for their concerns and should a similar sighting or incident occur in the future we will disseminate the information as fast as possible.